Saipan: Week 1

We've been here about a week now, so it's time for a recap. The first big event was Italian Night at the Conner house. Dad likes to throw these little Italian nights every once in a while, and on Tuesday he had a special guest star: Nadia Richards brought her pasta maker over to teach those who were interested how to make pasta. (Actually, the dough was all made, but I guess it's really easy. But she taught them how to roll it.)

Dad and Mike were both in heaven. 

And I'm pretty sure I know a future gift I'll be giving. If he doesn't get it for himself first--which is usually what happens.

Mmmmmm....passsssssta.

Wednesday, Mum, Dad, Mike, Madie and I hit up Townhouse beach. It is a lagoon-side beach, so it was really shallow for a long ways out. The water is also pretty calm, despite the wind we've had since we've been here, so it was bearable for the Fi.

I like to look at this picture and think of my favorite 007 ever. 

I guess now I just need to get him some of those shorts...

Modeling the latest in toddler swimwear.

I never thought my dad would look tan. But I was so, so wrong.

Thursday night we hit up the street market. We don't have a ton of pictures, but here's us eating dinner.

And if you haven't watched Madie's mad dance moves, you're missing out.

Today Madie hung out in the hammock and watched movies while Mike and I went to check out some historical sites. She loved it! And, surprise, we found out she can start movies on her own. After Winnie-the-Pooh finished, Mum said she heard another movie playing looked to see that she had somehow gotten Robin Hood playing. Scary.

We saw the Last Command Post. Like many of the sites on Saipan, this is a tragic one. 

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING STORIES ARE EXTREMELY TRAGIC. 

Briefly: the American soldiers landed on the south end of the island and pushed the Japanese further and further north until the commanders who were left holed themselves up in this rock-and-concrete bunker past Tanapag. When they realized they would not ever celebrate a victory on Saipan, General Saito, working under the direction of Emporer Hirohito, ordered those left under his command to join him in seppuku--or samurai-style suicide.

These next few pictures are at Banzai Cliff, another tragic spot. The Japanese were pros at national propaganda and had successfully convinced their people their fates would be worse if they were captured by the Americans than if they died an honorable death. Thus the only option aside from capture or murder was suicide. Whole families jumped (or threw each other) from the edges of cliffs. Banzai and Suicide were the most popular. Despite the tragedy associated with it, Banzai is one of the most beautiful places on the island. 

It's covered with Japanese memorials and shrines like these.

Behind the statue is Suicide Cliff, the other popular spot Japanese "saved" themselves from dishonorable deaths.

The view from Banzai.

The Jet to Saipan

We left Livermore at 5:00 am for San Francisco to Seattle, to Japan, to Guam, and then to Saipan. We arrived to Saipan at 9:00 am PST. That's 28 hours of traveling which includes the drive to the airport! Madie did surprisingly well on the trip. There were about 45 mins on the 10 hour flight to Japan where she was throwing a fit, but I really couldn't blame her. We were getting a lot of frustrated looks from people around us, but their frustrated looks quickly changed to "Sorry I looked your way" when I met stared right back at them with a stern look. This guy would even play peek-a-boo and would glance over every few 10 seconds. He finally stopped when I locked my eyes on him for a minute straight. We were joking with my parents afterward that I should have drawn some tats on my face to look more intimidating. A lot of people already assume I'm in the military, so that's good enough I guess.

Saipan is very beautiful, green and humid. We will be here through Thanksgiving and are glad to be with family. I know this is probably weird to hear, but in the 3.5 years of being married, this is actually my first time visiting my in-laws home.

We were given these leis when we showed up to church.

Madie really liked the lei. She spent her first day in Saipan in her underwear.

I Didn't Even Get A, "Woah! Cool!"

Mike is a great roommate. I've had a few, and he is one of the cleanest and certainly the easiest to get along with. And usually when I mention something about housekeeping that I want to see done better and am seeking his support on, he's with me. He doesn't leave nasty socks balled up around the house (like my brothers), our bedroom doesn't smell like his feet (like some roommates I've had), he rinses out his dishes if he's not actually cleaning them instead (again, college roommates). Most of all, he'll clean things around the house without me always having to draw his attention to it. He sees the need, and gets it done. It was a must in the qualities I sought for in a husband.

But then every once in a while we won't be on exactly the same housekeeping page.

I have spent all day--literally, ALL DAY--cleaning the house in preparation for a big Thanksgiving trip to Saipan. I hate coming home to a dirty house and having the responsibility of unpacking, doing laundry, doing dishes, vacuuming, and dusting the moment I walk in the house. When I get home, I don't want there to be ANY housework I have to do until at least two days later. Which means when I clean before a departure, I leave no rock un-turned.

This evening I was in the kitchen re-wrapping burner drip-pans and spraying down the stove-top and wishing with all my might there were an easy way to clean the massive amount of jam under the stove-top that had boiled over the night before. There had to be something easier than trying to get at it through the burner hole. Finally, part-way through wiping down the top while I stared at the offensive jam underneath, I thought, "Wait a minute! The underside of this looks like a tray. AAAAAAND, the top looks like..." as I thought I lifted the top of the stove, burners and drip-pans removed, and it rose up like the hood of a car, with a brace underneath and all.

Oh! I was so happy! I lowered it back down and continued to wipe down the top, freely brushing things into the burner holes and onto the tray beneath.

Enter: Mike.

"Honey! Look! I just solved a problem." He came over to see, and I demonstrated the raising and lowering of the stovetop. "This raises!"

"Yeah, I know." I stared at him blankly. I turned my head and stared at the year-and-a-half's worth of crumbs and spills and grime built up beneath the stovetop. I stared straight ahead and thought to myself, I didn't even get the "WOAH! COOL! That'll make things so much easier!" that I was expecting. I looked back at him.

"If you knew, why does it look like that?" He stumbled for words for a second, probably thinking, Wait, did I promise to clean the stove? I don't think I did...I hope I didn't...


I clarified. "If you knew, why didn't you ever say anything to me so that I would know?" AH! Phew! Okay, that's what she means.


"Well, I just figured you knew also." This man has cleaned drip pans for me, which requires you remove them, and I am dumbfounded that he might not have seen the nasty build-up beneath them. Knowing me--the woman who takes everything out of the fridge and wipes the shelves down every week--how could he think I would have let it get that bad under there if I had known I could reach it?

I spent the next half hour spraying and scrubbing and rinsing out my rag. When Mike got back from running an errand, I left the kitchen and he made brinner.

Holloween 2011

Our Halloween started on Saturday night when we were invited to the Prusso's party. Great party, half of the ward was there, in addition to other friends. Mallory and Madie dressed as tahitian dancers. I dressed as a San Francisco street performer. Here are some pictures from the party. Madie loved playing with her friends. 

On Halloween, we were invited by the Pradise Family to make homemade donuts, hang out, and take the wee ones out trick or treating along their street. Madie got the hang of it real fast. About half-way through trick or treating, Madie decided she wanted to take her costume off. I figured with her smile and saying "Twick o' Tweet!", she would be just fine in the candy department. She loved it.